


Together we stand

by Katniss239



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Horsewomen, Hurt, Love, Mild Gore, Multi, Overprotective Durins, Thorin's a dick, Torture, rating may change later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 00:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katniss239/pseuds/Katniss239
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morgan Ratray came from Scotland, Kala Kana from Hawaii, and Roxy Taylor was born in the United States. The three of them have been inceperable ever since they met at Meredith Manor Riding School. Now, the three girls planed to visit Morgan's home town, to spend the summer in Scotland with their horses. But when the plane crashes and sends them and their horses into Middle Earth, they find themselves included in the dwarves' quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. And things are going to get quite tangled up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From the USA to Middle Earth

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a head cannon that I wanted to write down, so, enjoy

Chapter # 1

_Morgan's P.O.V_

I look out the window to see the airport crew loading our horses onto the plane. I wave at my Gypsy Vanner gelding and whisper. "See you at home, Northstar." I watch untill he's gone from my sight. Once he's on board, I tap my foot as I await my friends.

_Flight 347 to Aberdeen, Scotland is now boarding._

I grab my bags as the anouncment comes through. I start stomping my foot in anxiety as I look down the hallway for my friends. "Come on, come on, come on!" I hiss under my breath. Just when I think they're not going to make it, my two friends Kala and Roxy come charging down the hallway. "Come on!" I shout at them. I pull out the tickets and the three of us rush up to the flight atendant.

She accepts our tickets and we make our way onto the plane. We're happy that we're sitting in the same row together. I was born and raised in Scotland, in the town of Aberdeen. Kala was born and raised in Honolulu, the capitol city of Hawaii. And Roxy was raised in Reno Nevada, in the United States. The wealth of our three families allowed us to go to the Meredith Manor Equestrian Center. We've been students there for four years now, and we've been friends ever since.

Now, summer break is here, and I've convinced my twin brothers, Conway and Rogan, to allow us to spend the summer at their horse ranch in Aberdeen along the coast of Scotland. As the flight takes off, the three of us settle into a doze as we glide on through the sky. After a while, I pull out my sketch pad and flip to a drawing that I am nearly finished with. It's a drawing of my black and white pinto gelding Northstar, rearing proud and mighty on his hind legs. _Just a bit of shadowing there, a few streaks here..._ As I add the final touches to the drawing, I sit back and admire my handiwork.

I admit, I draw in my spare time, and i'm quite good at it. I flip through my sketchbook. All the drawings I've done and my book is only half-full. I sit back and relax. We've got a full day before we land in Scotland. I'm not sure how long i've been asleep, but it's Roxy shaking me that jolts me back to reality. "Morgan. Morgan, wake up!"

"Wh-what?" just then, the plane gives a violent jolt.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, we've hit some unexpected turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts._

The voice of the pilot comes on over the speakers, and the seatbelt sign comes on. Immediately, we stuff our things back into our backpacks and clip our seatbelts on. I grip the armrests tightly as the plane jerks and jolts quite violently. "Uh, guys..." says Kala, sounding very scared. Roxy and I look out the window to see what has her so scared. My eyes bug out of my head when I see the engine on our side of the plane is on fire.

There's a loud click, and the pilot says. _Ladies and Gentlemen, we've experienced an unexpected drop in cabin pressure. Please put on the oxygen masks untill further notice. Parents, please attend to your children first._

My heart is hammering as we slap on our oxygen masks. It's almost like I can hear the horses screaming in the hold below us. "The engines! The engines are on fire!" someone screams.

"The plane's gonna crash!" someone else yells. I close my eyes as the plane starts tilting dangerously downward, waiting for it to crash and end us.

 

 

******

 

 

 

The first thing i become aware of is laying in soft cool grass and bright sunlight shining down on me. There's the sound of snorting above me, and i feel something big, warm, and wet rub my face. I open my eyes to see that it's Northstar licking me. I laugh and gently push him off. "Come on, boy, cut it out-Northstar!" I cry out suddenly. My beautiful horse is here, he's alive, and-he's completely unscathed.

I don't even bother asking myself how this happened. I'm just too happy to see my beautiful horse again. Northstar presses his muzzle to my cheek, and i wrap my arms around him, inhaling the scents of hay and earth and trees that cling to his coat.

Then another thought snaps into my head. I try to sit up, and get a jolt of pain in response. My entire body feels like Northstar has layed on me. I twist my head around to look. I see Roxy's long hair dyed blonde and brown and black and red, before she lifts herself up with a moan. Her horse, the red Freisian/Quarter Horse crossover gelding-aptly named Big Red- is standing beside her, nickering softly.

I look past Northstar, and breathe a sigh of relief when I see Kala's chocolate hair and beautifully bronze-taned skin. Her horse is a pure-bred Fjord Horse mare named Wind Song, and is standing over her, licking her face to try and wake her up.

"Kala? Roxy?" I call out hoarsely.

"What happened?" Kala moans.

"Are we...are we dead?" Roxy almost whispers. I clap my hands to my head with a moan and say. "Nope. I hurt too much to be dead."

"I say, are you girls alright?" All three of us look up to see a an old man gripping a tall wooden staff. He's dressed in gray robes, a silver scarf, and a tall, pointed blue hat, and his gray beard is so long, it goes down to his belt. "Not really sir." Kala tells him. "We're pretty banged up."

"Yeah, i'm starting to see spots." Roxy adds. Immediately, the old man crouches over all three of us. He moves his hands over our faces and whispers in some language we don't recognize, but a soothing feeling passes through my body. I don't know how, but I give a relaxed sigh as the pain in my body gently melts away. The old man smiles and steps back as the three of us sit up.

"Wow. Thanks." says Roxy.

"Not a problem at all, my ladies." he replies. "I always strive to help those in need. May I ask, what are the three of you doing out here?" The three of us look at each other before I reply. "To be completely honest, sir, we're not sure."

"We don't remember how we got here." Kala says.

"Really? You don't remember anything? Anything at all?" He asks. We shake our heads in unison. The gray old man frowns and gives a deep-throated hum. "Well, my ladies, I am on my way right now to meet with an old friend of mine. Perhaps you'd like to join me? I'm sure he can provide you with some food and some fresh clothes."

At the thought of food, my stomach complains loudly, and I say. "That sounds fantastic. Do you mind if we ride there? We're pretty worn out." The old man nods and waits patiently for us to get on our horses. Roxy helps Kala up onto Wind Song, and I help Roxy up onto Big Red. "But wait, what about you?" Roxy asks as she takes hold of Big Red's mane.

"That's okay, Northstar and I have been working on a new trick. Watch." I tell her. I give shirll, bird-like whistle. Northstar walks over and lays down on his belly. I swing myself onto his back, then pat his neck to tell him to stand up. We've ridden bareback plenty of times, so this is no problem. Northstar, Wind Song and Big Red have each been specially trained for our small size.

It's only just then that I notice that we've shrunk. Holy shit, _we've shrunk!_ but i'm so tired that I don't think on it for too long as we nudge our horses to follow after the old man.

 

 

 

*****

 

_Nobody's P.O.V_

After a few hours of walking, the ragged party began to leave the forest. "Alright ladies, when we reach our friend Bilbo's home, just let me do the talking, and then once i'm done, you three introduce yourselves and try to win him over to let you come in." Gandalf told them. All three of them nodded. Gandalf couldn't help staring curiously at them. They were too small to be humans, they didn't have pointy ears, so elves were ruled out, and they didn't have big, hairy feet like the halflings, so he figured them to be dwarrowdams.

The one on the black and white horse had her long black hair done up in a high, braided horsetail. Her cheeks and the bridge of her nose were spotted with freckles, and her wide eyes were a lovely pine-green. She was wearing what looked like a long sleeve light blue tunic with the image of a blue horse on it. She also had on a silver and black jacket, a pair of dark blue trousers, and tall light brown boots.

The girl sitting on the red gelding had long hair that fell unbound down to her waist, and was dyed a dozen different colors. Her golden-toned skin was smooth and unmarked, and she had full rosy lips and narrowed gray eyes. She wore some sort of pale blue tunic flecked with white that had the image of a silver unicorn on it, along with baggy gray pants and jet black boots.

The third girl sitting on the dun mare was very beautiful, with long chocolate hair, bronze-taned skin, and sparkling gold eyes that gave you the impression that she knew some secret. She wore a purple coat that looked two sizes too big for her, with a white shirt underneath that had the image of a rearing red horse on it. she also wore a tight bluish material for pants and ash-gray boots rimmed in purple. Gandalf was growing increasingly curious about them.

It was as if the horses could sense how tired the girls were, for the beasts purposefully kept pace with Gandalf, a slow, leasurely pace that had the girls smiling in content. "If I may ask, my ladies, where do you come from?" Gandalf asked. the three girls looked at each other before they said. "You see, we're not all from the same place. We met each other in school, and we've been friends ever since."

"I see. Well, what places do you come from?" Gandalf asked.

"I'm from Reno, Nevada." said the tri-color haired girl.

"I'm from Honolulu, Hawaii." added the bronze girl.

"And i'm from Aberdeen, Scotland." finished the black-haired girl. Gandalf frowned and said. "Those are not any places I recognize." The girls looked at each other in surprise. Changing the subject, Gandalf asked. "I am and Gandalf the Gray, my ladies. What are your names?"

"I am Roxy Taylor." said the girl on the red gelding.

"I'm Kala Kana." said the bronze girl.

"And i'm Morgan Ratray." finished the black-haired girl. All three of them fell silent as they entered the Shire. The road narrowed out, so the horses had to go single-file. The girls stared in wonder at the hobbit lands. The passing hobbits stared curiously at the three biggest horses they had ever seen, and the three small girls riding them. The horses obediently followed Gandalf on up the road.

They stopped at the top of a hill, where there was a single round green door. "Now, remember what I told you ladies." Gandalf said. The girls nodded.The horses stood shoulder to shoulder as Gandalf walked up to the gate, where a small man with large furry feet and a mop of brown curls on his head was smoking a pipe. The girls watched, transfixed, as the smokering he blew turned into a butterfly when Gandalf stepped by.

The gray smoke butterfly fluttered for a moment before landing on the little man's nose. The girls took this man to be Bilbo. Bilbo stared at all four of them before he gave a cheerful. "Good morning."

"What do you mean?" Gandalf inquired. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you would say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a monring to be good on? Hm?" The girls looked at each other with confusion that was mirrored by Bilbo. "All of them at once...I suppose." He replied hesitantly.

Gandalf made a dissaproving sound at this, making poor Bilbo look so baffled. "Can I help you?" Bilbo asked.

"That remains to be seen." Gandalf replied. "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure." That stops Bilbo in his tracks. "An adventure?" He stutters. "No I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner." He walks over and pulls the mail from his mail box. He shuffles through the envelopes, muttering something under his breath, before he slaps the pile together and proclaims, "Good morning," before going up the steps to his door.

"To think that I should have lived to be 'good-morninged' by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door." Gandalf proclaimed haughtily. That made Bilbo stop. "I beg your pardon?"

"You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf said.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Bilbo asked.

"Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it." Gandalf replied. "I'm Gandalf, and Gandalf means....me!"

"Gandalf?" Bilbo exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such _Excellent_ fireworks! Old Took used to have them on midsummer's eve! I had no idea you were still in business."

"And where else should I be?" The wizard asked in a heated tone. Bilbo stuttered for a moment, pointing every which way, before he stuck his pipe back in his mouth and blew a few rings of smoke. "Well, i'm pleased to find you remember something about me...even if it's only my fireworks." Gandalf said. "Well, that's decided then. It will be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others."

"Inform the who-? No! No, wait! No!" Bilbo exclaimed. "We do not want _any_ adventures _here,_ thank you! Not today, not-I-I suggest you try over The Hill or...across the water." He ended with a final 'good morning', and fled into his house, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Well that went well." Kala remarked, and the three girls rolled their eyes   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go my delectable chocolate bunnies. Feel free to comment


	2. Mr. Bilbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get aquianted with Bilbo. The dwarves arrive for the party

Chapter # 2

Nobody's P.O.V

After Bilbo slammed the door shut, the girls swung off their horses, and thanked the lord they had taught their horses to stand-tie. After Gandalf scratched a strange-looking mark on Bilbo's door, he came back down the steps to them. "Alright, my ladies, i'll leave you in the capable hands of Mister Baggins. I shall be back with the others later." With that, he walked away down the path. "Boun signore! What is with him?" exclaimed Roxy.

The three girls all shook their heads, then walked up to Bilbo's hobbit hole and knocked on the door. " _I told you, I don't want to go on any adventures, so leave me be!"_

"Mister Bilbo, Gandalf is gone." Kala called out. After a few moments, Bilbo opened the door and poked his head out. "W-what can I do for you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Well, you see, we're sort of lost." Said Roxy.

"We don't know where we are, and we were wondering if maybe-" Kala started.

"If maybe we could come inside for a while?" Morgan finished. Bilbo blinked before he said. "Oh, uh, yes, yes, of course." He opened the door wider and ushered the three girls in. As they walked in, he asked. "I'm just about to have tea. would you like some?"

"Yes, thank you." Morgan responded. Bilbo lead the three dwarrowdams down the hallway to the dining room, where the tea kettle was just beginning to scream. Once they each had a cup of tea, the girls told of how they had woken up in the middle of the road with their horses, and Gandalf had found them and lead them to Bilbo's hobbit hole. "Really?" Bilbo inquired, sipping from his cup. "You don't remember anything that happened? Anything at all?"

The three girls shook their heads. "Um, we were wondering if you had any spare clothes we could change into?" Roxy asked. Bilbo nodded and led them down another of the maze of hallways to a large walk-in closet. It was filled with all manner of skirts and shirts, which the girls learned belonged to Bilbo's late mother. "Pick anything you like." He told them.

"Are you sure?" Kala asked.

"Really, it's no trouble at all." Bilbo replied, and shut the door to give them a bit of privacy to change. Once they were dressed in their new outfits, they knocked on the door to tell Bilbo that they were done. "You seem pretty tired." said Bilbo. "Perhaps you'd like to rest before dinner?"

The girls nodded, and Bilbo motioned for them to follow him. He led them down the hallway to one of his spare bedrooms. "Dinner should be ready soon. I'll come wake you when it is." Bilbo told them.

"Thank you so much for this, Mister Bilbo." Morgan said.

"It's no trouble at all." Bilbo replied. "Sleep well."

 

 

 

                                                                                                          ******

 

 

 It was about three hours later when Bilbo woke them for dinner. At the smell of cooking fish, the girls' mouths flooded and their stomachs complained loudly. Bilbo led them to the dining room table where he had set four plates of food. "It looks very good, Mister Bilbo." Kala commented.

Bilbo blushed a little at this. "Well-ah, it's really not a problem at all." he replied. The girls and Bilbo had just started eating when the doorbell rang. "Now who could that be?" Kala asked.

"Al diavolo se so. Were you expecting anyone, Bilbo?" Roxy asked. Bilbo shook his head and stood up, When the girls stood as well, he said. "Oh, no, i'll get it. You go ahead and eat." Obediently, the girls sat back down. They had just started eating their fish when they heard. "Supper. He said there'ed be food, and lots of it."

"H-he said? who said?"

The girls looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. The man in the doorway was massive-at least massive by their standards. He had a forked beard and a bald, tatooed head, and was dressed all in dark armor. at the sight of them, he stopped, bowed low, and said. "Dwalin, at your service, my ladies." After a few moments, the girls each gave their names.

With introductions out of the way, Dwalin took the seat that was previously occupied by Bilbo and started tearing into his fish dinner, making the girls soon lose their apetites. The girls and Bilbo watched as Dwalin finished tearing all the meat from the fish, and then bit the head off, skull and all. "You going to finish that?" He asked, pointing to the girl's plates.

"Not anymore." said Kala, and the girls pushed their plates toward Dwalin, who helped himself to the food. "Very good, this. Anymore?" he asked Bilbo.

"What? Oh, uh, yes, yes." replied Bilbo, picking up a plate of biscuits. He snuck one behind his back before he set it on the table and said. "Help yourself." Dwalin did just that. "It's just that, um," Bilbo told him, "I wasn't expecting company other than the ladies here." With that, the door bell rang again. "That'll be the door." said Dwalin with a wink. This time, the girls followed Bilbo to the door.

Standing on the porch was an old dwarf with a forked white beard dressed in scarlet robes. He smiled, bowed and said. "Balin, at your service."

"Good evening." said Bilbo, who looked as though he didn't quite know what to make of all this.

"Yes, yes it is." Balin replied, coming in. "Though i think it might rain later. Am I late?"

"Lllate for what?" Bilbo asked. Balin didn't answer, as they saw Dwalin trying to get more biscuits out of the tin on Bilbo's mantlepiece. "Oh! Ha ha!" Balin bellowed, walking over to the bald dwarf. "Evening, brother." Both brothers laughed, and Dwalin said. "By my beard, you're shorter and wider than last we met."

"Wider, not shorter." Balin argued. "Sharp enough for both of us." The brothers laughed, and put their hands on each other's shoulders in a show of brotherly affection. The girls smiled at this, and jumped when they bashed their heads together with a loud _klunk!_ "Well, i'm certainly never doing that." Kala whispered to the others.

"Anch'io" Roxy replied, and Morgan nodded. They watched as the dwarves ruffled through Bilbo's pantry, while Bilbo tried in vain to get them to listen to him. "I-I like visitors as much as the next hobbit...but I do like to know them before they come visiting." The dwarves continued to ignore him, and Bilbo turned exsaperated to the girls. "I'm saying this out loud, aren't I?" He asked.

"They just don't seem to want to listen to you." said Roxy.

"Well I won't have it!" Bilbo stated, and turned back to the dwarves. "The thing is, I don't know either of you. Not in the slightest. I, uh, I don't mean to be blunt, but I uh, but I have to speak my mind, i'm sorry." The dwarves stopped their conversation and looked up as Bilbo waited for a reply. "Apology accepted." Balin told him. At that, the doorbell rang again.

"Ugh, watch them, will you?" Bilbo asked before dissapearing to answer the door again.

"If he thinks we can do anything to stop them, he's crazy." whispered Kala, and the others nodded. After a few moments, Dwalin and Balin left the pantry and walked away down the hall. "This is one crazy night." Said Kala.

"Agreed." Morgan and Roxy said in unison.

"Laddies!" They looked up as Dwalin came back down the hall with a brunette dwarf under his arm, closely followed by a blonde one. Roxy and Morgan blushed when they saw these two new dwarves. The brunette had chocolate brown hair that fell down to his shoulders, and a dark stubble lining his jaw and upper lip, and wide chocolate eyes that sparkled with mischief and mirth.

The other had a thick mane of blonde hair done in an intricate braiding style, even having braids in the mustache of his golden goatee. His sky blue eyes were alive with merriment and mischief. "Laddies, let me introduce the friends of Mister Baggins; Miss Kala, Miss Morgan, and Miss Roxy." The blond and the brunette came over and kissed their hands, then bowed and said. "Fili, and Kili, at your service." Kala kept her composure under control.

Morgan and Roxy stood their blushing and smiling big. The brothers smirked at the thought of the two girls fancying them, then walked off to help their friends. "You guys!" Kala growled once the brothers were gone.

"That brunette is super adorable!" Roxy whispered in barely hushed excitment.

"Amen. And that blonde is smoking hot!" Morgan added.

"You go for the blonde, I go for the bunette?" Roxy suggested.

"Deal." Morgan rplied, and the two girls shook hands. It was then that the doorbell rang for a third time. Bilbo, now looking thoroughly mad, dumped Fili and Kili's things on the floor as he stomped back towards the door, with the girls following. "Oh no, no, there's nobody home! Go away, and bother somebody else! There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If this is ome clot-head's idea of a joke, haha! I can only say, it is in _very poor taste!"_

He thrust the door open, and in tumbled nine more dwarves, all in a pile. With Gandalf standing behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Morgan's P.O.V_

Roxy, Kala and I dance out of the way as the dwarves go in a steady stream to and from the pantry, with poor Bilbo trying desperately to get them to listen to him. Just as I dance out of the way of a dwarf sporting braided pigtails and a bizarre looking hat, I fall forward and fall down on something hard. There's a grunt, and the thing underneath me moves.

I open my eyes to see that i've landed on top of Fili, and my face goes tomato red. "Oh, um, I, uh." I stutter. The blond chuckles and says. "Uh, you can get off me now." I jump back, and he sits up, still laughing. Kili touches my shoulder, and says. "Miss Morgan, why don't you come sit with us?" I smile and reply. "Okay." Fili lends me a hand and pulls me up. The brothers each take one of my arms and start to half lead, half drag me to the table.

Before we get there, I call out. "Hey Roxy, come sit with us!"

"Yeah, I don't think so." she replies, turning away.

"Ohho no you don't Voi bastardi!" I chuckle, grabbing a fistful of the back of her shirt and dragging her with me.

 

 

_Roxy's P.O.V_

Morgan drags me around the table with her as Fili and Kili drag us around with them and sit us down in between them, with me next to Kili and Morgan next to Fili. "So, _ladies,_ " Kili says, having way too much fun emphasizing that word, "What are your opinions on our company?"

"We find you a merry bunch." Morgan replies before tearing off a bite of chicken.

"Oh, come on, there's got to be more than that." Fili says.

"Yeah, like...which ones are the best looking?" Kili adds, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I laugh and push him off.

"Oh, there's really no contest there brother." Says Fili. "It's obviously us."

"Now, hold up you two." Says Morgan.

"That's right, we could have just as easily said Bofur or Gloin." Roxy adds, after hearing Gandalf say all the dwarves' names.

"That is true." Kili says. Suddenly, he's smiling evilly, and he looks past me to his brother. The two of them nod, and suddenly both me and Morgan are very scared. The brothers start to ever-so-slowly lean in towards us, stretching their hands out at the same pace. Morgan and I look at each other. "Run." We say in unison. Just as the brothers lunge forward to grab us, the two of us spin out of our seats and take off down the halls.

 The sound of stomping boots tells us they're giving chase, and we run faster. I've just run a full loop around the dining room when i'm tackled to the floor, and I don't even need to guess as to who it is. Before I can do anything, Kili launches an all-out tickle attack on me, with me laughing and sqwaking in protest. I look over to see Morgan struggling and wriggling underneath Fili, and shouting a string of very colorful words in Gaelic.

Finally, we both give up and fall limp in the grips of our captors. "You going to admit it now?" Kili chuckles in my ear.

"If you let us go." Morgan replies. Slowly, the brothers release their grip on us. Morgan and I take one look at each other before we leap up and take off again.

 

 

 

 

_Kala's P.O.V_

I can't stop laughing as I watch Roxy and Morgan get tackled and tickled mercileslly for a second time until they both scream for mercy. "I don't want to get used to them!" Bilbo's voice makes me turn around. I follow him and Gandalf out into the hallway as Bilbo continues. "Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet, th-they've pillaged the pantry! I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom; they've all but destroyed the plumbing! _I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"_

"Excuse me," Says Ori, coming up with a dirty plate in his hand, "i'm sorry to interupt, but what should I do with my plate?" At that moment, Fili comes up. "Here you go Ori, give it to me." He says. He tosses the plate to his brother, who then tosses it to some unseen dwarf in the kitchen. I duck just in time to avoid plates flying past my head. " _Excuse me, that's my mother's West Farthing crockery! It's over a hundred years old!"_ Bilbo shouts.

The dwarves simply laugh. All the others are now stomping and beating the silverware against the table to create a rhythm. I imagine it's like nails on a chalkboard for poor Bilbo. "And can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" He shouts. The dwarves laugh harder. "Oooh, do ya hear that lads?" Bofur says, grinning evilly. "He says we'll blunt the knives!" As if on cue, Kili starts singing.

 

_Blunt the knives, bend the forks._

Fili sings the next line, and soon, everyone joins in.

 

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks._

_Chip the glass and crack the plates,_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth, tread on the fat,_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat._

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor,_

_splash the wine on every door!_

_Dunk the crocks in a boiling bowl,_

_pound them up with a thumping pole._

_And when your finished if any are whole,_

_send them down the hall to role!_ There are dishes and silverware flying all over the place. Me, Morgan and Roxy gather in the smaller dining room with everyone else, laughing at the dwarves' merry song and Bilbo's terrified expression. A rousing shout of "THAT'S WHAT BILBO BAGGINS HATES!" ends the song, and everyone laughs as Bilbo comes in to find all his dishes clean and neatly stacked, not a single scratch. Three loud knocks on the door, and the house goes as silent as a graveyard. At once, the mood goes from merry to serious, and Gandalf proclaims ominously. "He's here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation  
> Boun signore!=good lord!  
> Al diavolo se so=To heck if i know  
> Anch'io=same here  
> Voi bastardi!=you bastard!
> 
>  
> 
> In case you haven't figured it out, that's Italian. Roxy has some Italian ancestry


	3. Thorin Oakenshield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group meets Thorin for the first time, and convinces him to take them with him.

Chapter # 3

_Kala's P.O.V_

Gandalf's the first out of his seat. Roxy, Morgan and I follow as the dwarves file into the front hallway. I watch as Gandalf opens the door, and I swallow and feel warmth pooling low in my stomach as I see who's on the other side of the door. He's unlike any guy i've ever seen. His many layers of armor and clothing make him seem almost as wide as the doorway. He is rather intimidating, with a straight, prominent nose, a jaw like a anvil covered in a neatly trimmed coal-black beard, and stormy blue eyes. His thick mane as black as a starless night is brushed back, and has a few streaks of silver.

As the door opens, he looks up and says in a deep, baritone voice that seems to vibrate through my entire body. "Gandalf." He smiles as he walks in. Whoever he is, his presence fills the whole room, that's for sure. All of the dwarves nod to him as he comes in. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way-twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." As he sweeps off his cloak and hands it to Kili, Bilbo comes in. "Mark?" He exclaims. "There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark. I put it there myself." Gandalf contradicts. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So, this is the hobbit." Thorin says, sounding very unimpressed. He walks in a circle around Bilbo as he says. "Tell me Mister Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" Bilbo asks.

"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin stops in front of Bilbo and crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for an answer. "Well, I do have some skill at Conkers, if you must know. But I fail to see...why that's relevant." Bilbo replies, faking confidence.

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin states. I glare at him. They come in here, uninvited, take every scrap of food Bilbo has, and then he _insults_ the poor guy? He's certainly arrogant, i'll give him that much. He does a double take, and then turns to face us. "Who are they Gandalf?" He asks. "You said nothing about three more."

"Ah, well, they arrived rather unexpectedly, but I believe they may be a valuable asset to your quest." Gandalf replies. As the three of us step forward, Thorin snorts and walks in a circle around us. "And what of you three? What are your weapons of choice?" He asks.

"Bow." Says Morgan.

"Sword." Says Roxy.

"Scythe." I tell him.

"And have you ever actually used any of these weapons?" Thorin asks. All three of us nod. "And, all three of us have been trained in various forms of hand-to-hand combat." Roxy adds. Thorin stops in front of us and looks us over. Finally he says. "You forget one thing, wizard; they're women."

Right then I feel something snap. "Hold it!" I snap as he turns away. He looks back in surprise. "Are you sexest, or do you just have plain shit for brains?" I growl at him.

"Uh, Kala, maybe this isn't the best time-" says Roxy.

"No! I will not stand here and let this big hairy bear insult us!" I step up untill i'm almost nose to nose with him, even though he's several inches taller than me. "You don't know squat about us, so don't go judging us before you know anything. And you owe a bit of decency to Mister Bilbo here too! You show up at his house, uninvited, take every scrap of food the poor guy has, make an absolute mess of his house, and now you _insult_ him? Do you not have any manners whatsoever? Well, you listen here, pal! No one, I repeat _no one_ insults me or my friends. You think we're weak and puny just because we're girls. You think only big strong guys like you can be tough? Well guess what; It's not all muscle, you asshole. So put  _that_ in your pipe and smoke it, you great big dick!"

Dead silence. Nobody says a word as they wait for Thorin to respond. He grabs the thick of my arm and leans in so close, I can feel his hot breath on my face. "Then prove it." He growls. He thrusts me back into the arms of my friends, and the rest of the dwarves follow him back into the dining room. "Kala! What the hell was that?" Exclaims Morgan, her voice shrill with disbelief.

"Well, I wasn't about to just stand there and let him insult us like that." I reply.

"Signore dio onnipontente! I swear, one day, that temper of yours is going to get you killed, Kala!" Roxy exclaims. With a unified sigh, the three of us walk into the dining room to find all the dwarves sitting around the table. We come up just as Gandalf sets a small piece of paper on the table, and says. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and waistlands, lies a single solitary peak."

The three of us look, along with Bilbo, at a small, rectangular map. "The L-one-ly Mountain." Bilbo reads slowly.

"Ai." Gloin replies. "Oin has read the portents, and the portents say, it is time!"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was fortold." Oin continues. "'When the birds of yore, return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'" During all this, Bilbo had walked over to one of his pantry shelves. Now he turns around, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Um, what beast?" He asks.

"Oh, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." Bofur tells him. "Airborn firebreather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes I know what a dragon is." Bilbo cuts him off. Just then, Ori stands up and proclaims. "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!" This earns him cheers from most of the dwarves, except for Dori, who yanks him back into his seat, proclaiming loudly. "Sit down!"

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us," Balin says, "But we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best...nor brightest." At this, arguing starts to break out among the dwarves. It stops when Fili slaps his hand on the table and says. "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!"

"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company!" Kili adds. "Gandalf will have killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time!"

"Oh, well, no, I wouldn't say-" Gandalf protests.

"How many then?" Dori asks.

"What?"

"Well, how many dragons have you killed?" Dori presses. Everyone waits for Gandalf to reply. Only he doesn't; instead he starts to choke on the smoke of his pipe. "Well, go on! Give us a number!" Dori exclaims. Just then, everyone leaps up and arguments erupt everywhere. Bilbo trys to quiet them. A fruitless effort. I have to clap my hands over my ears, they're so loud.

"ENOUGH!" Thorin roars, jumping up from his seat. The noise dies abruptly, and all of the dwarves sit. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too?" Thorin continues. "Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we seize this chance to TAKE BACK EREBOR!?" He finishes by thrusting his fist in the air, and all the dwarves cheer.

The three of us can't help but add our own cheers to the noise. "You forget, the front gate is sealed!" Balin shouts, and the noise dies down again. "There is no way into the mountain." He says solemly.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf says, and produces a large, ornate key from somewhere in his robes.

Our curiosity is nothing compared to the dwarves'.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asks in a hushed tone.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safe-keeping." Gandalf tells him. "It is yours now." Everyone watches Gandalf hand Thorin the key.

"If there is a key...there must be a door." Fili says.

 _No shit, sherlock._ I think, rolling my eyes.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf says, pointing to a particular spot on the map.

"There's another way in." Kili says, looking very pleased with this observation.

"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf says. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it. But, there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar." Ori pipes up.

"Hm, a good one too. An expert, i'd imagine." Bilbo says.

"And are you?" Gloin asks as everyone looks at Bilbo. Bilbo looks at his back window and then back at the group before he asks. "Am I what?" Oin, misunderstanding him, pumps his fist in the air with glee as he says. "He said he's an expert! He he!"

"Me? No, no, no, no!" Bilbo protests. "I'm not a burglar! I've never stolen a thing in my life!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Master Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin agrees.

"Ai, the Wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin adds. Here, another round of arguing starts. It goes on untill Gandalf stands up, and the room suddenly goes dark. "ENOUGH! IF I SAY BILBO BAGGINS IS A BURGLAR, THEN A BURGLAR HE IS!" he bellows, his voice echoing through the whole house. He sits back down as he says. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose, and while the dragon is acustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage.

"You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearences suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know...including himself. And the girls shall be your fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth members. They will show they're qualities when the time comes." He leans in closer to Thorin as he adds. "You must trust me on this."

"Very well....we'll do it your way." Thorin replies. He turns to Balin and says. "Give them the contract." All the dwarves are excited as Balin pulls out a large, folded peice of paper. "Hold on a moment. Just have to adjust a couple of things." Says the old dwarf, scribbling something down. Then he stands up and says. "It's just the usual; summary of out-of-pocket expences, time required, remuneration....funeral arangements, so forth."

Thorin thrusts the contract at Bilbo, who says in a terrified squeak. "Funeral arrangements?" The three of us gather around Bilbo as he unfolds the contract. From my position, I hear Thorin whisper to Gandalf. "I cannot garuntee their safety."

"Understood." Gandalf replies.

"Nor will I be responsible for their fate." Thorin adds. There's a moment's pause before Gandalf says. "Agreed." I don't like the sound of that at all, and make a mental note to carefully watch over Morgan and Roxy. Bilbo starts to read parts of the contract out loud. "Terms, cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one-seventeenth of total profit if any. Hm, seems fair." I notice Balin scratched out 'one-fourteenth' and replaced it with 'one-seventeenth.'

"Present comapny shall not be liable for injuries sustained as a consequence thereof, including but not limited to...lacerations....eviceration?" He unfolds part of the contract, and looks visible pale as he says. "Incinceration?"

"Oh ai, he'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur says cheerfully, unaware that Bilbo is turning a sickly green color.

"You alright laddie?" Balin asks.

"Huh?" Bilbo responds, leaning on his knees. "Yeah, yeah, I feel....feel a bit faint." Bofur stands up and says. "Think furnace with wings."

"Air, I-I-I need air." Bilbo stutters.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then _poof!_ you're nothing more than a pile of ash!" Bofur continues. Everyone stops for a moment as they wait for Bilbo's response. "Hmmm.....nope." He says, and promptly faints. Roxy and Morgan catch him before he hits the floor.

 

 

 

 

I leave Roxy and Morgan to help with Bilbo, and roam about the Hobbit hole. I can't help thinking that a child would have the time of their life playing hide and seek in here. As I turn down a hallway, I run into one of the dwarves. "Oh, sorry, I-" I start, untill i see who it is. Thorin takes hold of my arm and growls. "No matter what the wizard says of you, I don't see the value you and your friends have in this company. So don't expect us to always be protecting you."

"We didn't ask you to." I snarl back, yanking my arm from his grip. "We can take care of ourselves." I push past him, and stomp down the hall without looking back.  


	4. He loves me, he loves me not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili attempt to get closer to Morgan and Roxy. A bit of bad memories for Morgan begin to resurface

_Morgan's P.O.V_

Since Kala has gone off-presumably to bed-Roxy and I decide to kill time by exploring Bilbo's hobbit hole. There are so many twists and turns and rooms that I think it would be very easy to get lost in here.

It looks like a stereotypical depiction of a cabin in the woods.

I can't help thinking a child would have the time of their life playing hide and seek in here.

Over the course of our exploration, we come across six bathrooms, eight bedrooms-including Bilbo's-and over a dozen spare rooms filled with all manner of objects. When a hand lightly pats my shoulder, I spin around, making Roxy yelp in surprise. I let out an unamused growl when I see it's Fili and Kili. "Jesus Christ! Don't do that!" I exclaim. The brothers laugh at us.

"Come on." Fili tells us.

"There's something we want you to see." Kili adds.

Before either of us can protest, Fili seizes my arm, and Kili seizes Roxy's, and they half lead, half drag the two of us toward the sitting room, where the rest of the dwarves are gathered. They sit the two of us down in a corner and urge us to watch.

As we watch, the dwarves begin a deep-throated hum, and I feel goosebumps rising on my skin. I just briefly notice Kala joining us.

Thorin then starts to sing, and it's not long before the rest join in.

 

 

_Far over, the misty mountain's cold,_

_to dungeons deep, and caverns old._

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To find our long forgotten gold._

_The pines were roaring, on the height._

_The winds were moaning in the night._

_The fire was red, it flaming spread._

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

The three of us look at each other, and I see that their singing has had the same effect on all three of us. When the singing is over, Fili and Kili come back up to us and ask. "Well, what did you think?"

"That was...amazing." Roxy replies.

The two Durin brothers take us by the hands and lead us out among the group. "Well, w-we were...wondering...if..." Fili stutters.

"Since we know absolutely nothing of where you come from, my ladies, we were wondering if you would be kind enough to share a song or two with us." Balin tells us, seeing the princeling's obvious inability.

The rest of the dwarves add their own words of enthusiasm.

"Alright." Roxy says, looking at Kala and me. "Any ideas?"

The three of us frown in thought for a moment, before I come up with something. I turn to Thorin and ask in my sweetest voice. "Thorin, may I borrow your harp for a brief moment?"

Thorin looks at me with an expression I can't identify before he gives a soft hum and nodds, motioning to where his harp sits by the sofa. I go over and take a seat on the sofa, placing the harp in my lap. I take a few experimental pulls of the strings before I begin.

 

 

 

 

_Just wait, though wide he may roam,_

_always, a hero comes home._

_He goes where no one has gone,_

_but always, a hero comes home._

_He knows of places unknown._

_Always a hero comes home._

_He goes where no one has gone,_

_but always, a hero comes home._

 

 

Complete silence follows the end of my song.

 broken when Roxy says. "We haven't heard you sing of Beowulf in ages." I shrug in response, setting Thorin's harp back on the floor.

"Who's Beowulf?" Kili asks.

I give a long sigh before I say. "Beowulf is one of the oldest stories of our homeland."

"Possibly _the_ oldest." Roxy adds.

"Why don't you tell us?" Fili suggests.

"It's not the happiest of stories." Kala says.

"That's okay lassies." Balin says. "Whatever you want to tell is fine."

The three of us look at each other before I give a sigh and begin. "Okay, the story goes that a demon named Grendel attacked Herot Hall every night, and devoured everyone he found there."

"The king of Herot Hall offered an enormous reward to whoever could kill Grendel." Roxy says.

"Beowulf sailed to Herot Hall from his homeland, proclaiming he could kill Grendel." I continue. "He faced Grendel that night, and tore the monster's arm off with his bare hands." There are a few awe-filled murmurs at this.

"Then," Kala picks up, "Grendel's mother came for revenge, and Beowulf was sent to kill her as well."

"He succeeded, and for his heroics, he was named the new king of Herot Hall." I tell them.

"What about the old king's sons?" Dwalin asks.

"He had none." Roxy replies. "His marraige was never consumated. He had no heirs, so he named Beowulf his successer."

"For many, many years, Beowulf's kingdom lived in peace." I tell the dwarves. "But then, a dragon attacked." There were a few growls from the company at the mention of a dragon. "Beowulf managed to get on the dragon's back, with a chain wrapped through and around the beast's mouth like a bridle, and he attempted to stear it away from Herot Hall."

"Long story short, Beowulf killed the dragon and saved his kingdom," Roxy adds, "but in the end, the fight with the dragon cost him his life."

"He past the crown to his son, didn't he?" Kala asks.

"No, he past the crown to his closest friend, his second in comand. Remember? He didn't have any sons either." I reply.

"Oh, right." Kala mutters.

"Come on." I say, getting up. "We should get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." The three of us walk away down the hall to go to bed, and I hear Fili say behind me. "I think we should follow their example."

We go into the same room together. The bed is big enough for the three of us.

As we settle down to sleep, Roxy asks. "Morgan, are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Roxy." I tell her.

"You sure?" Kala asks. "You know you can tell us anything, right?" I nod and tell her. "I'm okay, really." But as we settle down to sleep, my dreams suggest otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> There you go. Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestions, i'd love to hear them.


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